SIC 2824 Organic Fibers—Noncellulosic
SIC 2824
Establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing noncellulosic, or synthetic, fibers comprise the manmade organic fibers industry. The fibers are created in the form of monofilament, yarn, staple, or tow suitable for further manufacturing on spindles, looms, knitting machines, or other textile processing equipment. Textile glass fibers and cellulosic manmade fibers, such as rayon and acetate, are classified elsewhere.
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Noncellulosic Organic Fiber Manufacturing
Although experimental organic fibers existed as early as 1913, the first commercially viable synthetics were invented during the 1930s and 1940s. Explosive industry growth occurred mid-century as new fibers, such as polyester, made synthetic materials a strong part of American life. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, U.S. industry participants were generating more than 3.5 million tons of fibers annually, worth more than $8 billion.
Rapid industry expansion subsided in the 1980s, as important sectors of the fiber business matured. Although production tonnage and revenues increased slightly throughout the decade, profit margins were confined by stagnant export growth and a rising tide of imports in the form of apparel and textiles. Environmental regulations and economic recession in the late 1980s and early 1990s suppressed profits further as manufacturers scrambled to consolidate and reduce costs.
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, a major geographic shift in production occurred as Asian production surged to a total of about 15.8 million tons, while North American production increased very modestly to a total of 5.4 million tons. By the mid-2000s, China had emerged as the world leader in synthetic fiber production. The United States, however, held onto its position as the world's leading producer of nylon.
Manmade fibers offer a less expensive substitute for many natural fibers, such as cotton, wool, and silk. In addition, many synthetic fibers have greater durability, hold their shape better, and are more uniform than natural fibers. Products created with manmade fibers typically afford greater resistance to aging and breakdown as a result of exposure to the elements. Because they can be modified to create a great variety of filaments with different physical properties and grades, synthetics provide great flexibility for manufacturers of apparel and textiles.
The two categories of manmade fibers are cellulosic and synthetic. Cellulosic fibers include such products as rayon, acetate, and triacetate, which are derived from modified wood pulp that has been dissolved in a liquid. These types of fibers are discussed within SIC 2823: Cellulosic Manmade Fibers. Synthetic fibers are derived from molecules containing various combinations of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. Examples of products in this group are nylon, olefin, polyester, and spandex. These types of fibers are the focus of this essay.
Synthetic fibers accounted for about 94 percent of manmade fiber output in the mid-2000s. Whereas synthetic fibers, such as polyester, grew substantial in overall production between 1980 and the mid-2000s, cellulosic fibers, already a small part of the manmade fiber industry, declined. Polyester accounted for 54 percent of worldwide manmade fiber production, followed by olefin at 17 percent, nylon at 11 percent, and acrylic at 8 percent. Cellulosic fibers accounted for the remaining 6 percent.
Approximately 90 U.S. firms competed in this highly consolidated industry during the mid-2000s. Even among the handful of competitors, earnings were top-heavy; the combined revenues of the top five firms in the business were nearly four times greater than the aggregate sales of the next five largest companies. Moreover, the majority of the largest 20 establishments employed fewer than 200 workers, compared with between 10,000 and 20,000 employees at each of the top few companies. Extremely high start-up capital requirements, entrenched market leaders, and proprietary technology necessary to produce high-margin fibers discouraged potential market entrants from joining this exceptionally competitive business.
One of the largest U.S. markets for synthetic fibers is floor covering manufacturers. This sector consumes almost 35 percent of fiber output to create carpeting for commercial, institutional, and consumer applications. Apparel producers command about 25 percent of industry production during this time, and makers of various home textile products control 8 percent of output. Industrial products and miscellaneous consumer goods, representing 25 percent of consumption, include such items as tire reinforcements, rope, surgical and sanitary supplies, fiberfill, electrical insulation, and plastic reinforcements. Approximately 8 percent of total output is shipped to other countries.
Synthetic fibers are extremely long, threadlike molecules composed of hundreds of thousands of atoms strung together in chains. They typically originate from petroleum-based chemicals, which must first be converted into a liquid state by either being dissolved into a solution or by melting. The free-moving molecules that form the liquid are then extruded through small holes called spinnerets. The fine strands of liquid that emerge from the spinnerets are hardened to form long, silk-like filaments.
The three most popular spinning processes are known as dry, wet, and melt. In dry spinning, the fiber-forming substance is dissolved in a solvent, extruded through a spinneret, and then exposed to hot air. The heat causes the solvent to evaporate from the fiber, leaving a solid filament. Wet spinning works in a similar manner, except that the extrusion is jettisoned into a coagulating bath, which causes the fiber to harden as a result of chemical or physical change. Melt spinning is accomplished by simply melting and extruding a substance that dries upon contact with the air.
During the spinning process, the filament can be manipulated to result in various physical properties and forms. This manipulation determines such attributes as drapability, softness, elasticity, perceived coolness or warmth, stiffness, roughness, and resilience. Fibers that are formed to have a dog-bone or lobed cross-section, for instance, result in fabrics with greater density, while flat fibers give fabrics a rough feel.
After spinning, fibers go through a stretching and orientation process. During this procedure, the long molecules that constitute the fiber are pulled into alignment along the longitudinal...
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